


A New Beginning

by PrillyPayne



Category: The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Walking Dead Fusion, Blood and Gore, F/M, Fluff, Gore, Multi, POV Multiple, POV Original Female Character, POV Third Person, The Walking Dead Universe, Walkers (Walking Dead)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-10-14 13:32:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10537512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrillyPayne/pseuds/PrillyPayne
Summary: An alternate universe that follows The Walking Dead television show. Focuses on the story line of an original female character and her interactions with TWD characters as well as other original characters. Really can't say much more, spoilers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All works are subject to change as seen fit by the author. Critiques are encouraged.  
> Single chapters will be posted sporadically (sorry).

Tires squealed on pavement as they swerved down another street. Mel jerked awake, surprised that she had dozed off in the back of the cargo van. Her brief moment of rest left her head foggy which was intensified by her general lack of sleep over the past few days. Mel cursed sergeant Ludington under her breath for driving so recklessly but when she peered out the front window, she understood why. Their choice of passable roads was getting slim, a sobering realization for Mel with each block they crossed. Atlanta was a web of highways, main roads, side streets and alley passes. Yet with the outbreak in full swing, if one road was not filled with piles of cars or military blockades, it was clogged with hordes of walking dead.

Out of the back windows, Mel observed each standing corpse they zoomed past was being drawn in their direction. “They’re following us.” She yawned. 

Dr. Pearce glimpsed out his passenger mirror. “It’s okay. They’re slow. We will get out of here soon anyway.” He reassured her weakly. 

Mel gave him an endearing smile. Her love for him was practical but love nonetheless. The few things she admired about Dr. Pearce. His Australian accent, his chiseled jaw line, and his optimism. However, it was his pure and childlike honestly that she loved the most, which in times like these was not the best thing to be. She continued to smile at him in hopes of making him feel better.

Sergeant Ludington did not appreciate the doctor’s poorly masked doubt as much as Mel did. “Not so sure, doc. All the major highways leading out o’ here are completely closed off. Full o’ vehicles from folks’ who never made it out durin’ evacuation.” He said as he veered around another street corner.  
Mel scoffed. They really called an evac for this? There’s nowhere to go, she thought to herself. 

“All we have are these side streets. The way I see it, we keep havin’ luck like this them slow pokes will be on our ass eventually.” He added with a sharp nod.

Dr. Pearce stared down at the steel briefcase on his lap with anxiety thick on his face. Mel reached out and touched his arm. “Adam,” He put his hand on hers. “We’ll make it. Try the radio again.” Mel knew the radio had been dead for days but was hoping it would distract him from their current situation anyway. 

Adam picked up the radio receiver and placed it on top of the metal case. “This is Jack Rabbit calling Rabbit Hole. We are in route and need confirmation of arrival. Copy.” 

Nothing but the same dull static they had grown used to.

“Repeat. This is Jack Rabbit calling Rabbit Hole. We need a response. Do you copy? ………… Is anyone there? … Please respond…”  
Adam was quick to give up. “I don’t understand. The CDC has the highest security this side of the country. No matter what, there is always someone at the control center.” Adam started bouncing his knee. 

Mel rubbed his arm sympathetically, “Keep trying.” She encouraged.

SGT Ludington swerved past a few small groups of walking dead. “Yeah? Well what about our compound? We had high security along with top ranked military personnel, advanced assault weaponry, genius kangaroo-fuckers.” He leered at Adam. “None o’ that means shit when the deadliest virus in human history is spreading like wildfire.” His rambling gave away his fear of their situation.

Mel ignored him. “Adam, please. They have to know we are out here.” Adam forced a smile for her and resumed but in vein. 

Deeper into the city, the streets became nearly impossible to navigate by vehicle. Abandon cars and hordes of dead forced them to turn around several times within the past half hour. Mel and SGT Ludington had to get out once or twice to push cars out of their way while Adam shot flares to distract the dead.

“We should just go by foot. Cars are not exactly in short supply here. We can just jack another one when the roads clear out.” Mel suggested while they were pushing a jeep off the sidewalk.

“Are you fuckin kidding me?” Ludington stopped pushing and glared at her. “So you’ve already forgotten about Lieutenant Smith and Lieutenant Jamison getting ripped apart by those… those… things!? I know that you and Crocodile Dundee over there weren’t in my unit, hell, y’all weren’t even in the same hundred acres as me at our compound, but you two are my responsibility now. I don’t care what your rank was or who you knew, you will do as I say. Got it?” Sergeant Ludington was red in the face but kept his voice low as to not attract any more dead than they already had. Mel didn’t feel like arguing with him so she nodded and continued to push in silence. 

Military posts were the most difficult to navigate. Mel had to hold the steel gates open while the Sergeant squeezed the van by military tanks and pop up tents. She would gather what supplies she could before Ludington urged her on. Each post was littered with the dead solders that once occupied it, or what was left of them. Their bodies were in pieces, bones nearly picked clean and dried out from baking in the hot summer sun. The skin on their faces was shredded. Picked apart either by crows or the dead, Mel figured it was the latter. She tried to ignore their eyeless stares, but some were so grotesque it was difficult to look away. With most of their muscle gone, all they could do was snap at the air with their exposed teeth as Mel walked past. 

After a few blocks of moving obstacles, they found clear road. Sergeant Ludington resumed his preferred erratic driving when suddenly they were lurched forward as he slammed on the breaks. Their only path was clogged with a massive horde of dead. It was the biggest they had seen since they entered Atlanta and it was just a few feet in front of them. One by one, the dead noticed their presence and started their slow advance. SGT Ludington threw the van in reverse and whirled the van around to race back the way they came. Sparks flew as they scraped past cars, retracing their steps as quick as possible. Before long Ludington had to slam on the breaks once again.

“Well, what the fuck did I tell ya’? What the FUCK did I tell ya’!?” SGT Ludington yelled. Each horde they passed earlier had now merged into one giant mass that challenged the size of the one they were running from. It blocked the way they had once came so SGT Ludington forced the van past some cement barriers on a different road. They raced down the street and soon were met with another mob of dead. 

“FUCK!” SGT Ludington cursed in frustration.

Mel noticed this horde was smaller than the other two. “To the right!” Mel pointed to a spot in the crowd that was thinning out. 

Sergeant Ludington slammed his foot on the gas and the van launched into the mass of bodies. Some went under the tires while others smashed into the windshield, sending a web of cracks across the glass on impact. Daylight faded as the dead swarmed the windows, clawing and biting with guttural noises that were nearly deafening. 

Mel observed each face that pressed against the windows. Some looked unscathed, like they got out of bed one day and just decided to start eating people. Others clearly had been subdued by those that had already turned, their faces half eaten, chunks taken out of their neck or arm. One of them even looked like a failed suicide with his lower jaw replaced by ragged bits of muscle and bone from something like a shot gun.

Blood and bits of meat splattered up against the white panels of the van as their tires started to spin on the fallen bodies. Soon the van slowed to a stop. Sergeant Ludington kept the gas petal to the floor till the tires ate through the animated corpses and once again found traction. They continued to bore the van through till finally the hoard thinned out completely and they were on clear road once again.

Mel kicked out the shattered windshield and knelt between the front seats to check on Adam. He had the metal case in a tight bear hug, eyes shut tight, head down, and was breathing heavily. Mel touched his tense shoulder. He didn’t look up so she pulled his face to hers. “Hey. Look at me. It’s okay. We’re okay.” 

Adam’s color was as white as his lab coat and his body was shaking as if it were twenty below. He looked at her with pure terror in his eyes. She put her forehead on his for a few moments till he calmed down. 

Mel sat back on her heels and shared a smile with him when a distorted voice struggled to make its way through the static of the radio. For an instant everyone froze, not really sure if they had actually heard it. They each exchanged glances before Mel grabbed for the receiver. “Hello? This is Ja…….”

…

It took a moment for Mel to process what had happened. She was not sitting, she was not holding the receiver, she was not even in the van anymore. Instead she was looking at the sky, bordered with tops of buildings whose windows reflected the setting sun. Before attempting to get up she moved all her limbs. Thankfully nothing was broken but her head was spinning. Struggling to her feet, she surveyed the area. The van was completely crushed and smoking. A large diesel truck had hit them on the driver’s side, which appeared to have veered the van into the corner of a building, smashing its front. 

Through blurred vision, Mel spotted SGT Ludington still sitting in his seat. She called out to him but got no response and as her vison cleared, she could see why. The left side of his head was caved in and his eye was hanging out of its socket. Mel then realized that Adam’s door was open and his seat empty. She called out for him several times with increasing distress. His seatbelt was on. The driver’s side took most of the impact. He’s okay, Mel told herself frantically. 

She ran to the van but before she could get close it took fire and exploded into flames. The burst of heat pushed her to the ground. Without hesitation she got to her feet and sprinted to the burning van. Peering inside all she could see was Ludington’s body enveloped in flames and Adam’s backpack. She quickly rescued the pack, throwing it away from the burning wreck.

Flames started to eat at the van’s interior urging Mel to abandon her search when she spotted the metal suitcase. It was jammed up under the dashboard where the flames were bellowing in. She grabbed for it but was immediately seared by the hot metal. Flames were rapidly engulfing the van and dripping melted plastic onto the case. She went for it again, this time with her left hand, prepared for the pain. It was stuck. She pulled and yanked but it would not come loose. Mel let go, cursing loudly, her hand red and blistered. 

The mob of dead they were initially running from was now only two blocks away, shuffling ever closer, and she knew her time was wearing thin. The truck that hit them was empty save a bandana which she quickly wrapped around her burnt hand. Mel analyzed the rest of the scene. There was blood smeared on the pavement, which she soon realized was from the road rash on her arm. Adam’s alive, he’s not here so that means he either went for help or he went with whoever hit us, she thought. The truck was slightly damaged but the inside showed no sign of injury to whoever was driving. Likewise, nothing indicated a struggle around the vehicles either, so she hoped they weren’t hostile, whoever they were. 

Besides finding Adam, her top priority was getting his case. With the van on fire and the dead closing in, there was no way to get it. Her best option was to bed down somewhere nearby till the fire burned out and the dead wandered away. Three streets offered escape so she chose the one to her right and started running. Halfway down the block a voice called out to her. 

“Hey! Crazy lady! Over here!” 

It was a man’s voice but it didn’t sound like Adam. She saw him leaning out of a nearby alley. He appeared to be an Asian in his early twenties wearing a red ball cap and an open plaid shirt over a black tee. Reluctantly, she ducked into his alley right as the dead rounded the street corner. 

“Hey, are you okay? I heard the crash.” The stranger asked.

“I’m fine. Did you see anyone else besides me?”

“Woah!” He took a step back from her. “Your eyes… Are those contacts?” 

Mel ignored him. “Did you see anyone else!?”

“No. Sorry, just got here. I was a couple blocks down in one of the buildings. I heard the crash and came to see if anyone needed help. Were there more of you?” 

Mell nodded and asked, “So it’s just you out here?”

“Ya. I mean, I’m with other people at our camp but I scout the city for supplies on my own.”

“Where’s your camp at?” Mel asked, wondering if Adam could have found them.

“We aren’t that far. Just follow the train tracks at the edge of the city till you come across a rock quarry and you’re there. Are you sure you’re okay? You’re kinda bleeding everywhere.”

Mel looked down at the blood dripping from the raw skin on the outside of her left bicep. A window across the street showed her reflection. Blood could be seen on the side of her head through her buzz cut hair, blood had welled up from the road rash on her face, and blood stained her white tank top and grey cargo pants.

“I don’t have much for first aid. All that stuff is back at camp.” He apologized.

Mel pulled the first aid kit out of Adam’s pack and sprayed her arm with antiseptic before wrapping it. As she did so, the scavenger peaked out from the alley and saw the dead congregating around the vehicles.

“Hey, I don’t mean to interrupt but those geeks will be here soon and I plan to be long gone by then. You are welcome to come back with me if you want, but we really shouldn’t be here much longer.”

“I need to stay.”

“Stay? You get brain damage from that crash?” He said in shock.

“My friend is missing. He could come back.” She had finished bandaging herself and packed up the bag. The sound of the dead was getting louder now. It made the stranger increasingly nervous.

“How about this. Write your friend a message on the buildings. Tell him you are okay and you will meet him somewhere.” He pulled out a can of white spray paint from his backpack and handed it to her. “Come back with me and you get a hot meal and a nice bed to sleep in. You can search for your friend in a day or two.”  
Mel glared at him. “I don’t have a day or two.”

“Look, I’ve been running this supply line long enough to know that your little bon fire over there will keep the geeks occupied for at least a couple of days.” He explained.

Mel was unsure about him but he seemed sincere enough. Adam’s pack had basic supplies and most of their food was in the back of the van. She gave in.  
They peaked out from the alley and saw that most of the horde was occupied with the fire as the scavenger had said. She ran out and wrote “ADAM” on the wall with an arrow before they quietly took off up the street in the arrow’s direction. Each block they crossed Mel sprayed a building with Adam’s name and an arrow indicating what way they went. As the city thinned out, she had to start tagging abandon cars, stop signs, and eventually the ground. By dusk they came to a fence by some train tracks. She used the last of the paint to write “Adam, meet here. – Mel”.


	2. Chapter 2

As the sun sank lower into the horizon, Mel and the scavenger walked briskly down the train tracks. They were officially out of the city. Mel could sense that her new companion was relieved but she could not shake her own anxiety. She didn’t like the idea of being away from Adam for so long but food and water were also important.

“I’m usually not out this late. I hope they’re not too worried.” The scavenger said, trying to strike up a conversation.

Mel barely heard him from the depths of her thoughts and continued to walk in silence.

“Okay. I get it. You’re the strong silent type. Can you at least tell me your name?” He had seen her last message but decided it was more polite to ask. 

The question thrusted her mind to the surface of reality. She gave him a sideways glance and quietly said, “Mel.”

“Mel.” He repeated. “It’s nice to meet you, Mel. I’m Glenn. Is that short for anything?”

“Nope. Just Mel.” She replied then dove back into her churning sea of thoughts.

Glenn decided it was best not to pry so they walked in silence the rest of the way. Once they reached the camp, it was pitch black. As Glenn had said, the camp was pretty easy to find, they weren’t exactly hidden between the open rock quarry and adjacent forest. Maybe Adam is here, Mel hoped but knew not to rely on it. On their approach, an older man with a gray and white beard came to meet them a ways up the road before they entered. 

“Glenn, is that you? We were worried sick! They were about to put together a search party to go find you.” The man scolded.

“Sorry. Most of the buildings are tapped out. I’ve been needing to go further in each time. Plus I found her.” Glenn apologized and gestured to Mel who was standing a few feet back as they talked.

The man looked surprised at her mention. He was so concerned with Glenn that he hadn’t even noticed her. His expression made Mel think he might turn her away but instead he approached with kindness. 

“Hi. I’m Dale. Glad to see others are surviving out here.” He shook her good hand warmly with a big grin. 

“Mel, and likewise.” She said, shaking back. “You haven’t had any other people visit here recently, have you?” She added.

Dale stopped a moment, his face twisted in thought. “No. You’re the first one since we’ve been here.”

Mel settled into disappointment. You can prepare yourself for the worst but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. She thought back to the message she had left in the city. It wasn’t much, but it was all she had to keep her going.

Dale could sense her discontent and looked at her sympathetically. “Please. Come have a seat by a fire. We have soup in this pot here. You are welcome to have some if you like. And water over there if you’re thirsty.” He gestured around camp as they walked in. 

The camp was much larger than Mel originally thought. From a far, it appeared small, only two campfires visible in the dark. Mel had figured there were five or six people held up here. However, now that she was taking the tour she saw multiple tents, cars, and an RV housing at least twenty or thirty people. She surveyed the best she could to get a feel for the group and to double check that Adam had indeed not found the camp but all she found were curious stares.

Everyone gawked at her. They were scared and confused which was to be expected in a situation like this. Everyone but one man. He gawked at her like all the others but his eyes were calm and collected. He was alone with his own fire at the edge of the woods roasting what looked like a squirrel on a stick. When Mel met his gaze he quickly looked elsewhere but she could feel his eyes on her as soon as she looked away which made her uneasy.

Glenn invited her to sit at the fire closest to the large RV while Dale got her a bowl of hot soup. She started eating when a man approached them. He was tall, muscular, had short dark hair with matching dark eyes, and a large nose. 

“You gonna introduce us to your new friend?” He addressed Glenn but was looking Mel up and down with large hands on his hips. Mel did not appreciate this gesture.  
“Oh, yeah. Everyone, this is Mel. Mel, this is Shane.” He gestured to the tall muscular man. Mel could tell he was an authority type. Probably worked as a security guard or local cop and voted himself head honcho when shit hit the fan, she decided and made a mental note to keep a close watch on him.

“That’s Andrea and her sister Amy,” Glenn continued with those around the campfire. “T-dog, Jacqui, and Morales.” They acknowledged her with a friendly smile as each name was announced. Mel thanked them for the food and kept on eating. People always asked too many questions in situations like this and she wasn’t in the mood for talking.

To Mel’s surprise it was the blonde woman named Andrea who was the first to start asking questions. “You look pretty banged up. Were you in some sort of accident?”  
“Yeah,” was all Mel cared to reply. 

Glenn stepped in and continued the conversation for her. “She was in a car accident, a pretty bad one too. I heard the crash while I was scav’ing in one of the buildings. You were in the van, right? I mean, I’m just assuming because of the shape your in.” 

She looked at him from above her bowl and answered with another, “Yeah”, between spoonfuls of steaming soup.

“What about the van?” Shane questioned in an authoritative tone.

“Hit by a truck.” Mel replied, slurping the last bit of soup from her bowl. 

Jaqui exhaled sharply, “I can’t believe there are still people runnin’ around in that God forsaken city. I thought they bombed the whole thing weeks ago.” 

T-dog shrugged. “That’s gotta mean sumthin’ though, right? Like, maybe supplies are hard to come by ‘cause other people are out there takin’ all the shit. Maybe it’s not all that bad in there.”

Mel blew air out her nose, “No, it’s bad.” She said in an amused tone without smiling.

“Did you see who hit you?” Shane questioned as if investigating some criminal case. Mel was quickly becoming annoyed with him. She answered him with a shake of head and looked around for a place to put her bowl. She was hoping to find a wash bin but her attention was drawn to the man at the edge of camp instead. 

Immediately he looked away when their eyes met and pretended to be busy poking at his fire.

“Was it just you or were there other people?” Shane continued his interrogation.

Mel was still watching the man play with his fire. Occasionally he would glance up to see if she was still looking. 

“I’d rather not get into it.” Mel stood, leaving her bowl in her seat. She decided she had enough of these people for one night. Those around the campfire shared strange looks communicating their uncertainty of the newcomer as she walked away.

Mel sat in the shadow of the RV’s rear end. She leaned against the cool metal of the bumper and took in a few deep breaths to collect herself. The night air was warm and sweet with the smell of smoldering coals. Sounds of insects and frogs took over as the camp went to sleep. The atmosphere was relaxing but the pain from Mel’s injuries was drowning out the serenity. Her burnt hand and scraped arm were angry with heat. A headache was beginning to settle in as well but the pain of it all was nothing compared to the feeling of having lost Adam. She was not a stranger to the feeling of loss but it was never something she could get used to. He has to be alive, I know he is, she reassured herself. Yet every passing hour made her little flame of hope smaller and smaller. 

“Mel?” Dale’s voice whispered from the other side of the RV. 

“Yeah?” She whispered back, wishing these people would just leave her alone. 

Flashlight in hand, Dale met her at the back of the RV. He plopped down a puffy sleeping bag and pillow next to her. “Here, I thought you might like to sleep on something a little more comfortable than the ground. Oh, and here.” He took out a bag from his back pocket and handed it to her. “I know it’s not much but you seem like you need it. The rest of us can deal with a headache or two. You just go ahead and keep those. On the house.” 

Mel held up the bag and saw a handful of Tylenol inside. She was at a loss for words. “I… uh.” She sighed. “You didn’t have to do this.” 

“Oh nonsense. What kind of person would I be if I left you out here all night like this?” 

Mel searched for the words to express her gratitude but nothing she thought of sounded just right. She was never one for words. 

“You just get some rest now. Good night.” Dale gave her a big smile and went into the RV. 

Mel took two Tylenol and stuffed the rest into Adam’s backpack. She laid out the bedding and found it to be quite comfortable. Dale could be heard milling about inside the RV. Eventually he went to bed and the camp became silent save for the crackling of coals and the occasional chirps from the frogs down in the pond. The pills took the edge off her pain but did not take away the dull aching she felt throughout her entire body. Her thoughts about Adam were the only thing to distract her. 

Footsteps could be heard somewhere in camp. Mel paid no attention until she heard them getting louder and louder. Someone was coming towards her. She figured there was at least one person awake at all times to keep watch but she didn’t like the idea of that someone approaching her in the dark, especially if they thought she was asleep. Her mind went directly to the man at the edge of camp. He had been watching her all night and acting strangely when she matched his stare. 

Before the footsteps reached her, Mel silently crouched around the corner of the RV, moved to its front and slinked down the other side to come behind the stranger. 

When the footsteps reached where she had been, the stranger cursed quietly. It sounded like the head honcho, Shane. Mel watched with her arms crossed, leaning against the cold metal of the RV as Shane shuffled around, cursing and shining his flashlight into the tall grass. He was an amusing sight, scrambling in the dark for several minutes till he finally turned around and saw her. When his flashlight lit up her face, Shane let out a startled shout and stumbled backwards. 

“God dammit! Are you playing games with me?” Shane scolded in a hushed voice, trying to mask his spurt of fear with anger.

Mel struggled to hold back a smile. “Do you always scare so easily?” 

“I could have killed you.”

“I doubt that.” Mel’s smile faded. 

Shane stormed out of the grass and towered over her, showing his height. 

“I don’t know if you noticed, sweetheart, but the dead don’t stay dead anymore. They could come into camp at any moment. I wanted to check on you is all.” 

“I’m fine.” Mel said with a raise of her eyebrow, glaring up at him.

“I don’t know what kind of person you are but before you can prove yourself, I’m keepin’ a close eye on you. I got family here and I will do anything to protect them. Whether it’s from walkers or from other people.” He emphasized the latter as he brought his face down to hers.

Mel was unmoved by his attempt to intimidate. “You don’t have to worry about me, sweetheart. Just don’t try sneaking up on me like that again or I might mistake you for a ‘walker’.” She stared him down with her large multi colored eyes until he backed off. She felt confident that the head honcho was done with her for the night and laid back down on the sleeping bag.

Stars dusted the cloudless night sky above. She observed the sheer magnitude of them all, wondering when was the last time she had seen this many at once. They were a nice distraction from the worry that was growing in her mind like a tumor. She didn’t expect to sleep but soon found it difficult to keep her eyes open and soon she was sucked into darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

When Mel opened her eyes she was again met with wide blue sky but this time there were no buildings, just clouds painted orange from the rising sun. She jolted upright in a fleeting moment of terror, forgetting where she was. It took a moment for the memories to flood back to her, accompanied by the sickening disappointment of it all. She forced her stiff body to sit up and noticed her reflection in the metal of the RV bumper. Soot and scabs covered her face from the accident. She leaned in closer to examine the split in her plump lip when she made contact with her unfamiliar eyes. Before the outbreak, her eyes had been a light olive green with brown bordering the pupil. The eyes she now possessed were like a thousand different irises merged together. The outer ring of her iris was a deep dark purple that faded inward to blue with a thin band of green where it mixed with yellow and finally ended in a bright red ring around the pupil.

These unnatural eyes disturbed her just as much as anyone else. That is, except for Adam. In his opinion, they were fascinating and beautiful. She looked away and got up to stretch. Dale was on watch at the top of the RV drinking coffee.

“Good morning! You’re up early.” He called down to her cheerfully.

“So are you.” Mel yawned. 

“Oh, I’m just an old fart. All old farts wake up before the sun does.” He chuckled.

She started walking up the road she had come in on when Dale hailed her. 

“Hey! You’re not leaving already, are you?”

“I need to find my friend.” She replied without turning. 

“Alone? You should wait for Glenn to wake up, he can go with you.” Dale sounded distraught.

“I’ll be fine. Really.” Mel tried to reassure him.

“Stay for breakfast at least. Daryl will be back soon with some fresh squirrel or pheasant.”

Before she could object, a gruff voice was heard behind some bushes along the road. 

“No squirrels or pheasants but I did get a couple o’ cottontails.” Said the owner of the rough voice as he emerged from the dense foliage. 

The man was adorned with dirty jeans and a dirty sleeveless shirt, complemented by the dirt that covered his hands. His short messy brown hair looked as if he hadn’t bathed since before the outbreak. However, his thick muscular arms, hansom face, and shaded eyes well made up for his lack of hygiene. A crossbow slung on his back and two large rabbits swinging from his belt completed his look. 

Mel wondered if he could be the same man who was staring at her the previous night. The way he was carrying himself made her unsure. He was a different person now that he was no longer dodging her sight. Instead, he strode up, stood next to her, and held her gaze without wavering. They held each other for a few moments before Mel broke away. It made her feel strange. From the moment she had these eyes it was custom for others to avert their attention. Adam had been the only one unaffected by the way she looked, but now, Daryl had changed that. 

“Spectacular! Wild rabbit stew for breakfast.” Dale climbed down from his RV, oblivious to what was happening between Mel and Daryl and walked over to examine the catch.

“Ya like cottontail?” Daryl asked Mel, still looking at her.

“Never had it.” Mel admitted, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand.

“Well then, guess you’ll have to stay.” He shrugged and continued into the camp, giving Mel no chance to object. She sighed and followed him.

As the morning progressed, people started in their daily mundane tasks of gathering water and tending to the fires. Jaqui started cooking broth and vegetables while another man who introduced himself as Jim skinned Daryl’s rabbits. Now that everyone was out of their tents, the full size of the camp was revealed. Mel counted a couple dozen people, most of them between their early thirties and mid-forties with families. Mel stiffened when she saw the children. A girl of around nine or ten cut in front of Mel’s path.

“Oh! I’m sorry.” The girl said timidly.

Mel cringed from the proximity of her and took a few steps back.

“My name’s Sophia. It’s good to meet you.” 

“Yeah? That’s good to know.” Mel responded awkwardly.

“Your eyes are funny.” Sophia smiled shyly. 

“I’m aware…” Mel sighed, looking around for a distraction.

“My mom has hair like yours.” Her smile grew. 

A man called out Sophia’s name with anger and she ran to him. He was a pig of a man. Pale white and fat with a mean face. Next to him was a pretty, small, mousy woman with short peppered gray hair. Mel observed the man wag his finger in the little girl’s face but couldn’t hear what he was saying. By the look on the girl’s face, it wasn’t nice. 

“What’s the matter? Don’t like kids?” Andrea asked walking up beside her.

“No, it’s not that.” Mel said, still watching the man scold his daughter. 

“Everyone hates Ed. Shane says as long as we stay out of their business, Ed will behave. I think the fat bastard knows he’s outnumbered. Anyone here would love to punch his lights out with the way he treats Carol and Sophia.” 

They watched as Ed’s wife tried calming him down in vein. He pushed her away, a little too hard, and went back into their tent. Mel snorted in disgust at the scene and continued walking through the camp. She came to the edge of the woods and leaned against a tree. Anxiety was beginning to swell inside her like stormy sea. She couldn’t wait much longer to go look for Adam. The only thing stopping her was the pure hospitality of these strangers. She was still bewildered by the generosity Dale had shown her the night before. The last thing she wanted was to give him and the others the impression that she wasn’t grateful. Conflicted, Mel let out a long-winded sigh. 

“It takes a while to cook but it’s worth it.” Said a familiar gruff voice behind her.

Mel hadn’t noticed Daryl sitting on a fallen log just a few feet behind her. He was working on his crossbow, showing a great deal of patience and skill.

She nodded in acknowledgement then added, “So how does this group work? Democracy or dictatorship?” Mel asked, curious. 

“I try to stay out of everybody’s business. But if y’re referrin’ to Shane, he likes to think he’s in charge.” 

“That don’t surprise me.” Mel laughed.

“Why’s that?”

“He made an attempt at being ‘intimidating’ last night. Really, he just made himself look like an ass. Tried sneaking up on me and ended up just stumblin’ around in the grass like someone tied his hands and pulled his pants down.” They both chuckled lightly.

The moment was interrupted by a man coming out of the woods, zipping up his pants, and spitting a loogie. 

“What’s all this giggling about?” He asked in a husky smoker’s voice. The instant he saw Mel he straightened up and puffed out his chest.

“Well, well, what do we have here? I heard the chink brought home a stray but no one said it had a big ol’ rack on ‘er! And oooooo boy, just look at those peepers! What sci-fi movie did you walk out of, sweet pea?” He bellowed.

Mel observed him as he walked closer to her.

“The name’s Merle. What should I call you, Rainbow bright? Or what about Lucy? Ya know, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, with her kaleidoscope eyes.” He leaned in with a big toothy grin. 

“Her name’s Mel.” Daryl answered in her stead, clearly annoyed by the rudeness of the man.

“Mel and Merle! Sounds perfect, don’ it?” He let out another round of laughter. “So where’s our breakfast, boy?” He asked Daryl, who ignored him. 

“I asked…. Where’s the grub!” Merle shouted. “And you better not tell me you gave it to these good for nothin’ moochers. They can get their own damn food.”

“I’ll get you a fuckin’ squirrel later, just let me finish what I’m doin’.” Daryl snapped.

Merle threw his hands in the air. “You believe this shit?” He addressed Mel. “He gives all our good food to these complete strangers and lets his own brother starve!”

Mel was surprised to learn that this obnoxious man was Daryl’s brother who seemed his polar opposite. 

“You’re part of a group, everyone has to contribute.” She said in a condescending tone. 

“Yeah? Well then you can do a whole lot o’ contributin’ in my tent later tonight, little miss Lucy.” Merle laughed, grabbing his genitals. 

That was about as much as Mel could take of Merle. She sneered at him and pushed herself off the tree. Merle continued to catcall her as she walked down to the lake at the bottom of the quarry. Three campers Mel hadn’t met were at the shore brushing their teeth and washing clothes. They waved and said good morning while Mel nodded with a meek smile in response. She walked further down the bank for privacy. When she found a shady spot out of sight of the others, she dropped Adam’s backpack on the ground and dug out the medical supplies to change her bandages.

While searching for the gauze, her hand touched something that felt like a plastic card. She pulled it out and was astonished to see that it was Adam’s work ID badge. Mel stared at his picture with a whirlwind of emotions. She couldn’t wait any longer, she needed to go find him, now. Mel let out a heavy sigh and started to undo her soiled bandages. Her wounds were tender but exposing them to the crisp morning air felt refreshing. 

Blood stained her clothes to a point of no return. Rather than waste her time trying to wash them out she stripped down to her bra and underwear and walked into the water. The pond was cool and clear. She rubbed the dirt and dried blood off her warm beige colored skin.

Steam rose from her body in the heat of the sun as she exited the water. She cleaned her wounds with more antiseptic and wrapped them with fresh bandages. By the time Mel made it back up to the camp everyone was already eating. Panic shot through her as she realized she had spent too long at the water. She quickly walked over to the pot and scrapped out what was left into a bowl for herself. 

“Is it okay if I take this to go?” She asked Jaqui in haste.

“As long as you bring my silverware back.” Jaqui smiled and held out a plastic spoon.

Mel let the soup cool as she walked out of camp. It was thick with soft chunky vegetables and tender bits of rabbit. Half way down the quarry road, Daryl came out of the woods. He was headed back to camp adorned with three dead squirrels hanging on his belt. When he got closer to her he and pulled out a straight blade hunting knife and offered the handle to Mel. She looked from the knife to him with a perplexed expression.

“It’s an extra.” He said with a shrug. “Ya gotta be pretty dumb to be goin’ alone with no weapon.”

Mel took it and thanked him. 

“You comin’ back?” He asked, annoyed at himself for being so obviously interested in her.

Mel took a deep breath. She looked at the skyline of Atlanta peaking up over the trees before answering. “We’ll see.” She sighed heavily.

Daryl looked at his feet and nodded. They bid each other goodbye and went their separate ways. Mel took her first bite of the rabbit stew. To her delight, the flavor was brighter than anticipated. She turned slightly and called out to Daryl.

“This is pretty good.” She yelled out with a smile.

Daryl smirked and added, “Told ya!”. Mel scarfed the rest down before making it to the end of the road. The warm stew filled her belly for which she was grateful because it was probably the only food she would have today. 

The city was shaded under its massive buildings when she reached the chain link fence. A small voice in her head mocked her as she looked down at her painted message. She walked towards the wreck she survived less than twenty-four hours ago only to find it was still over run with the living dead and smoking. There was no sign of Adam or any other human activity in the area since she left. 

Reluctantly, she went back to her sign by the fence and sat on the roof of a nearby car. She knew her fantasy that Adam would be waiting for her was unrealistic but she felt ashamed of herself regardless. Mel sat in silence, trying to come up with a game plan for the day. The world was so quiet now. Sitting next to a massive city in such silence had a strange effect on Mel. A once a vibrant city full of life now a hollow crypt, who would have expected, she thought while tracing the outlines of the buildings with her eyes. She thought back to the brief conversation she had with the survivors around their campfire. Glenn had been struggling to find supplies, which the others thought was the result of more people still surviving in the city. 

Perhaps T-dog’s theory wasn’t too far from the truth. Was it too wild a thought that people could still be in the city? Adam could have found another group, or been taken by them. The smoldering flame of hope reignited as she leaped off the roof of the car to start searching the buildings. She decided to choose a building close by the crash to start looking for signs of life. 

The office building was a maze of cubicles dimly lit by the rising sun. It still smelled of freshly printed paper but with unmistakable undertones of rot. Across the room was a one of the dead standing in the corner with a ruler sticking out of his neck. Mel knocked loudly on the wall to gain its attention. He turned and tried to shuffle his way to Mel but the maze was too complicated for him to navigate. Mel walked up to the dead man trapped in a cubicle. She studied him for a moment, holding her fingers just out of reach of his grasp. Walkers. What a strange name. Some of you can barely stand. Lame brain is more like it, Mel thought to herself. Out of curiosity, she let him grab onto her middle and index finger. Mel was taken aback by how strong he was for an animated corpse and slipped from his tight grip immediately. Before moving on, she took out the knife Daryl gave her and plunging it into the top of his head. 

Mel was still baffled by the resilience of these monsters. Only damaging the brain would stop them. Any mortal wound they had was completely ignored. Adam had not explained the details of the virus to her before or after she signed up for his program and now she found herself deeply regretted not learning more about his research when she had the chance. But of course, how could she? Mel had not expected to live and fully accepted it. Nothing else mattered at that point in her life.  
Her heart ached from the memories that were beginning to resurface. It was a draining feeling she did not manage well. Mel forced herself to focus on searching the building. As she continued all she found was more painful memories until she reached the fifth floor. A conference room had been made into a makeshift shelter where someone had laid out a sleeping bag and a stockpile of granola bars, water bottles, and duffel bag full of library books. That same someone had blown their brains out with a revolver at the front seat of the conference table. Mel took everything she could carry, including some of the books. 

She checked the remaining floors in the building and came up with only a few bags of chips and bottles of ibuprofen left in desk drawers. Then she went onto the next building, and the next, and the next until dusk came visibility dwindled. The warm night air and comfort of an empty apartment tempted Mel to stay in the city. She sat on a queen sized bed and admired her cache, two duffel bags and a backpack of food, medication, and useful supplies. The soft bed beckoned her but Mel couldn’t shake the thought of everyone at camp. Dale tried not to allude to the fact that they were struggling but Mel knew. They needed these supplies more than she needed to fuel her own obsession of finding Adam. 

Mel made it back to camp just as the sun was setting. Dale was overjoyed with her findings and enthusiastically showed the rest of the camp. Carol approached timidly and thanked her personally for recovering the books.

“Not many people find these useful these days. Everyone is so worried about food, which is important, of course. But no one thinks to feed the mind.” She giggled shyly. “You’re the first one to bring something like this back. Thank you, really.” 

Mel couldn’t help but feel warmed by the woman’s sincerity and smiled at her with a lighthearted, “No problem.”

Having unloaded her cache, Mel retreated to her chosen spot at the end of the RV and laid down her new sleeping bag. Her hand repeatedly bumped Daryl’s borrowed knife at her side as if her subconscious was urging her to return it. Mel had full intentions on returning the knife but dreaded interacting with Daryl again. He looked at her like no one else did. The moment they held each other’s gaze that morning, Daryl made her feel his equal, important, and strangely enough, at ease. No one in Mel’s life had ever made her feel that way, not even Adam. It enticed her and frightened her at the same time. 

Dinner was served just after dark. Canned vegetable soup with crispy rabbit legs on the side and canned fruit for desert. Mel stood in line like the rest of the camp until she saw Daryl sitting alone at his fire by the edge of camp. Now was as good as time as any so she abandoned her place in line and briskly walked over to him. 

“Here.” Mel held the hilt of the knife out to him as she came up beside him. 

“Naw, you keep it.” He mumbled as he poked at his fire.

Mel was taken aback. She was not prepared for him to let her keep it. 

“Are you sure? Won’t you need it?” She blurted absentmindedly.

“I got like five o’ those fuckin’ things.” He grunted.

Mel turned to leave, embarrassed for not realizing the knife was a gift. To Daryl it seemed he had insulted her by using his usual annoyed tone of voice. He wanted her company so he said the first thing that popped into his head.

“No one taught you how to say ‘thank you’?” His voice cracked and blood rushed to his face. He meant to be sarcastic but instead sounded irritated. Mel stopped and turned. She knew he meant well but wore a face of confusion for his sake. He cleared his throat and tried again, this time taking extra care to keep his tone light. “Are ya hungry?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Mel said with a small amused smile and sat on the ground by the fire.

“Merle’s asleep so he won’t bother ya’.” Sparks rose lazily from the fire as Daryl threw on another log.

“He sure is somethin’ else.” Mel commented.

“Always has been.” Daryl replied, handing her a thick squirrel leg.

To Mel’s surprise the skin was crispy and the meat, juicy. The taste was slightly gamy but her body welcomed the protein. 

“Damn, this ain’t half bad.” Mel mumbled with a mouth full of meat. 

Daryl nodded and sucked on a leg bone. 

They sat in silence for the remainder of the meal. Daryl couldn’t keep himself from staring at Mel. He never had such a strong attraction as this towards another person before. And it wasn’t just because of her unique beauty, he felt an intense chemistry with her that he couldn’t explain. They had only just met but he felt as if he had known her for years. It made him uneasy not knowing what to do with this foreign emotion but found he enjoyed it just as much.

Mel knew Daryl was staring at her. Now that they were acquainted, it wasn’t as creepy as her first night had been, but she still had not figured out how to handle the emotions he evoked in her just yet. Eventually his persistent staring became too much for her.

“You got somethin’ to say?” She spoke without warning. 

Daryl twisted in his seat from the embarrassment of being caught. 

“Whudd’ya mean?” He squeaked and had to clear his throat.

“Well you know that old saying? ‘Take a picture, it’ll last longer.’ I’ll go find you a camera when I go out tomorrow.” She teased.

“Don’t flatter yer self. I was just thinkin’ is all.” He scoffed, trying to mask his guilt.

Mel could see right through him and a smile stretched wide across her face. 

Once all the food was gone they continued to sit in silence, watching the fire dance across the logs. Daryl only glanced at her occasionally, which was fine with Mel. Eventually the fire died down and the only other person still awake was T-dog who was on watch. Daryl finally turned in for the night, laying down just a few feet away in his own sleeping bag. He offered Mel to stay as long as she wanted, which she did for some time. Sleep got the best of Daryl after a short time. Mel, staring peacefully at the glowing embers, was the last thing he saw before falling asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Over the course of a week and a half Mel had taken over Glenn’s job as supply runner. Every day she would get up at sunrise and head into the city. Her first few hours were spent sitting at the fence by the train tracks, in a meditation ritual of sorts, before making the trip to her wreck. The dead had swarmed the area longer than she or Glenn had anticipated. Mel had hoped they would thin out enough to where she could fight her way in and get the metal case. However, each scenario she played out in her head did not end well, so she stayed patient. 

After her morning routine, she would explore the buildings for supplies. The goal was to fill her backpack before sundown when she would return to camp. Everyone, particularly Glenn, was amazed at how much food, medicine, and basic supplies she could find. He was more than happy to let her have the job but continued to drop hints that he wanted to come with her. Mel chose to play dumb.

One afternoon she found an old polaroid camera with film still left in it. Mel laughed to herself as she picked it up, thinking back to Daryl and the campfire dinner they shared. She turned the camera to her face, stuck out her tongue, and snapped a picture. When the film cleared, Mel cringed. She had not realize how long her hair was getting. Abandoning the camera and photograph she searched for a mirror. Her once buzzed hair was starting to show its subtle waves so she made a mental note to find a razor for future upkeep. 

On her most recent trip, she had found a key to a stock room full of untouched supplies. Glenn’s eyes lit up when she quietly told him she needed extra help getting it all back to the camp. This was the first time Mel skipped her daily routine of waiting at the fence and walking to the wreckage. It gave her the unshakable feeling of having forgotten something. This will be the day Adam comes and you won’t be there, the nagging voice in her head taunted. It repeated relentlessly the entire time they traveled into Atlanta. Mel did her best to ignore the voice but the sunken empty feeling in the pit of her stomach stayed persistent. 

The stash was deep within the city. It took Glenn and Mel three hours to maneuver around wandering groups of walkers undetected. Once there, Mel showed Glenn where she found the key. The building itself was a department store and the key was in an employee rule-book. 

“I wouldn’t have thought anything of it if the word ‘terrorist’ didn’t catch my eye.” Mel explained. 

There was a loose paper on the inside cover with a brief overview of protocols. At the very bottom, it stated that 'a safe-room was required to be fully stocked all times in case of a natural disaster or a terrorist attack'. The amount of dust that covered the book told them it had not been opened for a very long time, even before the outbreak. 

“When did they start doing that?” Glenn asked. 

“My guess is after 9/11.” Mel shrugged, handing him the key.

“Does every building have one?” He said, unlocking the doors to the safe-room.

“Doesn’t seem likely. Big buildings with lots of people, malls, things like that would be my best bet.” 

Glenn swung open the doors and was instantly overwhelmed with excitement.

“This is a god damn gold mine!” He laughed and started going through all the food like a kid on Christmas morning. 

There was everything from boxed dinners to powdered milk and just about every fruit, vegetable, and meat you could put in a can. In addition to the food there was also a number of first aid kits stacked along the wall. They worked quickly to fill their duffel bags. Only about a quarter of the supplies fit before the bags were stuffed full. The extra weight made it more difficult to sneak past the dead unnoticed. They were slower and less agile than they had been on their way in. After a few narrow escapes, Mel and Glenn found an empty clothing store to momentarily take shelter. 

“Thanks for getting that geek off my back.” Glenn sighed heavily. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Mel shrugged. “But we can’t keep trying to avoid them like this. Going out of our way for just a handful of them isn’t worth it. I think we should try taking them on if the group is small and spread out.” 

“I don’t know.” Glenn said hesitantly. “I’m more of a lover, not a fighter.” He smiled timidly. 

Mel snorted at his cheesy joke. “Well you have a hammer, that should work well. We just need to stay quiet so we don’t attract more.” Glenn looked at the hammer weakly. “C’mon, I’ll show you.” Mel pat him on the back and stood.

They ventured out into the street once more, leaving the bags in the store. Mel pointed to two walkers about a half a block away from them. 

“Left one’s mine, right one’s yours. Watch me get the first one and then you can try.” She instructed. 

Mel walked up to the walker on the left with Glenn’s hammer. It's milky eyes locked onto her as she approached. The walker raised it's arms as if to embrace her but before it's clawed hands could latch on, Mel buried the sharp end of the hammer into the top of its head. The walker staggered for a moment before falling limp to the ground. Glenn's walker shuffled enthusiastically toward her. Mel kicked at its abdomen, sending it stumbling to the ground, before it got too close. She walked back to Glenn and handed him the hammer. He took it and nervously walked toward his walker who was still in the process of getting up. As soon as it was on its feet, the walker grabbed for Glenn. He dodged he walker as it stumbled toward him and sunk the hammer into its head. The walker fell to the ground before Glenn could release the hammer. He lost his balance and fell on top of the walker awkwardly. 

“You're a real natural.” Mel smirked and held out a hand to help him up. Glenn took her hand and sprung to his feet, his face pink from embarrassment. 

“Told you I wasn't a fighter.” He laughed nervously. 

“No, I mean it. You did good to dodge it when you did. They are a lot stronger than they look so you don't want them to get a hold of you. If you can help it, that is. There's lots of practice out here. You will get better.” 

“Not sure if I want to.” Glenn said quietly, looking pensively at the walker. 

“They aren't people anymore, Glenn.” 

“I know, believe me, I do. But....” He trailed off.

She put a hand on his shoulder. “It's you or them. Keep that in mind and the rest will follow.” 

They gathered their bags and continued navigating the city. Their new method of taking on small groups served better than wasting time and energy trying to avoid them. Under a bright orange sky, Glenn and Mel were greeted like heroes upon their return. Mel could not think of another time she had seen the group in such high spirits. It was as if she and Glenn had given them new life, and it was contagious. Mel basked in their happiness as if it was heating lamp, allowing the warmth to raise her own moral. 

The festive vibe lasted all the way into the night with many cheerful conversations full of laughter. As the moon took over the sky, those that remained awake were lounging contently around their campfires. 

“So you guys really cleaned it out, huh?” Andrea asked nonchalantly.

“Hell no! There’s a dozen shelves still full of stuff. I can’t wait to go back tomorrow to get more.” Glenn replied cheerfully. 

A wave a dread washed over Mel, taking her good mood with it. She knew the others would want to recover the rest of the food if they had found out. Now that Glenn had revealed their secret, there was no going back. 

“Well, we have to go get it!” Andrea demanded.

“I’m with Andrea. We can’t just leave a whole stash layin’ around for someone else to take.” T-dog added.

Glenn shrank with regret as those within earshot of the conversation voiced their agreement.

“Oh, it’s okay. Me and Mel can get the rest.” He squeaked, knowing they had already made up their minds.

“Sounds good. Gather up as many large bags as you can and head out in the morning.” Shane ordered the others, completely ignoring Glenn. “I’ll be staying here but we can communicate through the walkies.”

“Count me in.” T-dog added, followed by a handful of other volunteers.

Visions played in Mel’s head as if she had already seen what was going to happen. She imagined this untrained group of civilians walking straight into a death trap, completely oblivious to the real danger. Many of them had little to no interaction with the dead since they had made camp. Glenn knew it too. He looked at Mel with worried eyes full of the realization of what he had just done. 

“Guys, I don’t know. It’s dangerous in the city. Me and Mel do a lot better when it’s just us.” 

“I’m sure we will be fine, Glenn.” Andrea disregarded him.

“When is the last time you saw one of them?” Mel snapped. She stood and continued before anyone could answer. “Have you really forgotten how dangerous they are? Look, you might think running into one or two is no problem but what happens when you turn a corner and find a group of twenty or more? You better believe they are out there in the hundreds and they will tear into you the first chance they get. Still want to go?” Mel lectured.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say we don’t want to stay here. If there is enough food and first aid as you say there is, then we could stock up and try to find a better place somewhere else. If finding salvation means risking our lives, then we are going to do it.” Andrea fired back. 

“You need be prepared. As long as you know this won’t be a walk-in-walk out kind of operation, my conscience is clear.” Mel sat back down and stared at the flames licking the dry wood with a permanent scowl etched on her face. 

The rest of the group seemed satisfied with that. Gradually, everyone retired for the night. Mel stayed up with Glenn who was too nervous to sleep. He kept going on about how worried he was and how he could never live with himself if someone died. Still annoyed with the whole situation, Mel quickly tired of his yammering and stood abruptly.

“Look, it’s never easy being responsible for other people. You just need to be confident that you know what you are doing and they will follow you. Now get some sleep and stop beating yourself up over it.” 

At that, she left Glenn and went to her sleeping bag. Mel laid awake for a while, not wanting to admit to herself that she too was nervous about tomorrow. Before long, her mind began wandering to the last time she had led a mission. It did not go well. Once those memories were stirred up, sleep became impossible. They played in her head like a movie on loop until she could no longer take it. Mel jumped up and stalked off down the quarry road. 

Shane, who was on watch, started when he saw Mel walking out of camp. “Where the hell do you think you’re goin’?” He whispered loudly. 

“Can’t sleep. Going for a walk.” Mel said in a normal speaking voice. 

He muttered “Crazy bitch” under his breath and sat back down.

Mel continued to walk until she met the end of the road where she turned and headed back to camp. Before she got too close, Mel turned again and repeated the pattern. Back and forth she went, her pace eventually breaking into a run as the traumatic memories continued to play. She ran until her lungs were burning and her skin was slick with sweat. Gradually, the pain and exhaustion pushed the memories back into the darkest corner of her mind and she was back in control. 

Mel slowed to a brisk walk as she continued up and down the quarry road. While listening to the choirs of frogs, she was struck by a sudden and intense urge for Daryl’s company. He had been gone since the night prior after mentioning he had been tracking a deer. She thought back to the times they had spent together. Sharing a campfire in the still of night after everyone was asleep gave the illusion that they were the only two people left in the world. It was oddly satisfying. She was not ashamed for enjoying Daryl’s company but rather bewildered that for the first time since her crash in Atlanta, Adam was not the prominent thought in her head.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun was still below the horizon when Mel woke, like always. Normally she was the first one up, with the exception of Daryl who always left before sunrise to hunt, but today was the big adventure into the city. Those attending the excursion had already eaten and were now gathering large sacks and bags in preparation. 

Mel grabbed her duffel bag and reluctantly threw it into the pile with the others. The air was electric with excitement but Mel was no longer basking in it. In truth, it made her anxious. She did her best to ignore it, yet still rubbed at her nose excessively and couldn't sit still longer than twenty seconds. The commotion of the scout group roused some of the others, including the unpleasant redneck, Merle. He sauntered over yawning and scratching at his genitalia. 

“What’s this here, now? Y’all having a field trip and didn’t invite your ol’ buddy, Merle?”

The group passed unpleasant looks between each other. 

“Well whatever it is you’re doin’, count me in. I need a little change of scenery.” He passed gas rudely. 

“You weren't invited , Merle.” Andrea said sharply.

“I wasn’t askin’, sweetheart.” Merle smiled, showing off his yellow and brown teeth. Mel believed it was possible that the only reason he made it this far was because the walkers thought he was one of them. She smiled to herself at the thought. 

By first light Glenn, Mel, Andrea, Morales, Jaqui, T-dog, and Merle had all set off down the quarry road toward the city. A little over an hour later, they were at the chain-link fence where Mel’s message was still bright white as the first day she wrote it. 

“Sorry.” Jacqui said sympathetically as they looked down at the message. 

“Don’t’ be. I’ll find him.” Mel's voice was confident but she felt less so. 

The streets were completely barren. There were no dead in sight the whole way to the department store, save for the ones that she and Glenn had exterminated the day prior. 'Perhaps these greenhorns will get off easy after all', Mel thought as her stress started to melt away. Glenn led the group to the stockroom. When he opened the door everyone overflowed with joy at the sight of it all and wasted no time in filling their bags. 

“You got this?” Mel asked Glenn quietly as the others were busy plundering. 

“Um, yeah, I guess. Why?” 

“I’m going to have a look around outside.” Mel said and quickly slipped away before Glenn could answer. 

“Bye…” He said to himself sarcastically.

Each empty block Mel passed poured new hope into her. 'They all cleared out. I can get the case now', she thought with excitement. Indeed, as she rounded the corner the van was in full view and clear of the dead. She smiled to herself and quickened her pace. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the van and stopped to stare at her. They were short, wore a black hoodie, baggy jeans, and a blue bandanna over their face. Mel was about to call out to the stranger in case they needed help but then she saw they were holding the burnt metal case. At the site of it, everything in Mel's mind vanished and was replaced by primal instinct. Instead of calling out a friendly “Hello!” she yelled a harsh “HEY!” and broke into a run. The stranger took off up the street and darted down an ally. They were quick but Mel was close behind.

The chase took her down multiple alleys and side streets but she never lost sight of her target. They were fast and agile but so was she. The thief jumped over trashcans, dodged abandon cars, and avoided the few dead in their path. Yet Mel was gaining on them, gradually. 

Gunshots echoed off the buildings and stirred the dead. Mel judged from the direction and the distance that the sound originated from the same location as her group. However, they were unimportant at the moment, and she continued her chase. She needed that case. 

Before long, Mel and the thief ran into a hoard of dead attracted by the gunshots. The thief was startled and stumbled to the ground. Mel took advantage of the distraction and threw her arm around the thief’s neck, twisting an arm behind their back. The thief choked and struggled in Mel’s grip as she dragged them down an adjacent ally. The dead were restless and she needed to buy some time to interrogate her freshly caught hostage. 

More gunshots rang out from the same direction as earlier but again, Mel ignored them. She threw the thief against a brick wall, gripping their wrist and pressing her forearm against their neck. She tore away the bandana and was met with the face of a young tan boy no older than thirteen. She didn’t let her surprise show on her face but relaxed her arm on his neck. He was clearly terrified but she continued with her interrogation anyway. 

“What are you doing with this?” She growled, gesturing at the case with wild eyes.

“Here! Here! Take it!” They boy whimpered and dropped the case.

“Answer me!”

“I thought it might have money in it! Please, let me go!”

“Where are your people?”

“I’m alone! I’m alone! You have your box, now let me go!” Tears welled in his eyes.

“You’re lying! You know how I know you’re lying? I found a bandana just like yours in that truck. Now, WHERE ARE YOUR PEOPLE!?” Mel tightened her grip on his wrist.

“The nursing home! Please! Let me go! Their coming!” The boy cried, tears finally spilling over onto his cheeks. 

The hoard of dead was making its way down the alley. Mel removed her arm on his neck completely but kept her grip on his wrist. She grabbed the case and dragged the kid down the other end of the alley to escape the dead. Mel stopped in the middle of the road and knelt to put her face in line with his. 

“Take me to the nursing home.” Mel demanded in her best motherly tone. 

When the kid did not answer, she shook him and repeated her demand with a shout instead. At that, he started yelling out directions as they ran. 

“Left! Right! Down that way!” He went on for several blocks. They seemed to be making no headway in any one direction. Mel started to think that this kid was messing with her or at the very least trying to buy time. 

While passing down their eighth alley, Mel stopped, stooped down, and grabbed the kid by the shoulders. 

“Look kid, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just trying to find my friend. So you need to stop fuckin’ around.” Her patience was paper-thin but she tried to make herself sound sympathetic the best she could. 

The kid only stared back at her with the same terrified look. Suddenly, Mel became aware at how dark it had gotten. In that same instant, the sky opened and released a downpour of cold rain. Loud claps of thunder shook the ground, making the kid jump with fright. 

“So… You don’t like thunder storms?” Mel asked. The boy shook his head violently. 

“Good. ‘Cause I’m the only way you are getting home. Now which way was it?”

This time his directions were less random. They were heading north. Eventually they came upon another hoard of dead that filled the street. The kid froze with fear at the sight of them.

“Which way!?” Mel jerked his arm but got no answer. 

She spun him around to face her and repeated, “Which way!?”. 

“I…I don’t know. This way is always clear. I don’t know another way.” He stammered. 

Suddenly, a car alarm burst through the streets. The sound distracted Mel enough for the kid to slip out of her wet grip and dart through a gap in the dead. As soon as he was through, the gap closed and Mel was cut off. She cursed and tried running around the building but the spaces between them were too small for her to fit. The boy, on the other hand slipped through them with ease. Running along, she eventually spotted him a few hundred feet from her, moving quickly between the cracks. 

Mel continued running round the buildings to try and catch up with him on the other side. The car alarm was getting closer and closer until she could hear the roar of the engine. Mel ducked down behind a dumpster as it rounded the street corner. She had expected the driver to be a friend of the boy’s but instead saw Glenn at the wheel. He was racing down the street in a cherry red mustang with a billowing tail of mist, the alarm blaring itself relentlessly. 

Something had to be wrong. Mel had assumed the gunshots were from the group killing a few stray walkers, but Glenn was never this reckless. Mel hesitated for a moment and weighed her options. The boy was gone and there was little chance she was going to find him again. Left with the only viable choice, she shot out into the street and ran at full speed toward the department store. 

The rain stopped as quickly as it had started. Steam slowly grew and hovered above the pavement like ghostly grass. A large mass of dead was moving its way down the street half a block from the store following the car alarm. Mel circled the building and came up behind the hoard so she could slip into the front entrance without being detected. Once inside, she heard yelling coming from an adjacent hallway leading to the back of the building. She dove in, following the panicked voices. A handful of dead had the same idea, which Mel quickly dealt with.

The narrow hallway opened up to a garage where she saw the group piled into an empty cargo truck. Morales spotted her and offered a hand as the truck started to move. Mel grabbed on and jumped in. The rest of the group looked exhausted but relieved. It took a few minutes of recovery before she noticed something was off. 

“Who’s the driver?” She asked suspiciously. 

“His name’s Rick. Glenn found him held up in an army tank. He helped us escape.” Morales answered.

“And where’s Merle?” She asked with an accusing tone.

“He’s… uh… still on the roof.” Andrea answered reluctantly with a heavy sigh. 

“Why?” Mel growled. 

Everyone was silent but their eyes were on T-dog. 

“I dropped the damn key.” He answered with a guilty tone. 

“What the hell does that mean?” Mel’s voice was dark.

Everyone averted their eyes until eventually the driver, Rick, answered. “He was a danger to others. I did what needed to be done.” He said with confidence. 

Mel saw the man’s sheriff outfit and, in an instant of rage, forcefully grabbed him by the collar. “You cuffed him to the fucking roof!?” She yelled as the vehicle swerved. Rick pulled his gun out by instinct but before he could point it at her, she ejected the magazine and the chambered round in one fluid movement. Rick shouted in protest but when he looked up at her, he was instantly drawn in by her multicolored eyes. In that moment, he was unable to look away or resist her. 

“Pull the fuck over!” She demanded, still with a fist of his collar. 

Without protest, Rick slowed the truck to a stop and Mel released him. Not looking at anyone or saying another word, she exited through the back. The others called out to her, saying it was a bad idea and that Merle wasn’t worth it but she jogged back towards the city regardless.

Rick watched her in the driver’s side mirror. He tried to repress a feeling of admiration that had surfaced inside him but failed. She was doing what he could not. Rick had no doubt that she knew Merle was a vile human being and yet, she was willing to risk her life for him. As he started to drive away, Rick found himself hoping to see her again and it was not only because he respected her courage.


	6. Chapter 6

Merle could be heard, clear as day, screaming on the roof when Mel arrived. She tried calling to him but doubted he could hear her over his own wailing. The hoard Glenn riled up was once again congregated around the department store blocking her path. Mel carefully scouted around the structure for a ladder but instead noticed a neighboring building whose roof might be connected with Merle’s. Mel took a chance and made her way inside.

It was an office full of cubicles but no dead in sight. Mel found the door to the stairwell propped open by a walker who looked like it had been trampled to death. The mangled corpse attempted to grab at Mel as she passed but its arms were too broken to move more than a few inches. Mel looked down at it with aversion as she pushed it with her boot and slammed the door on its head with a loud CRUNCH. Mel continued to bound up the stairs, flight after flight, her legs screaming with exhaustion. Eventually, noises could be heard from above and Mel stopped to listen. It was an echo of the guttural grunts and moans of the dead. Underneath it all, Merle’s screams could be heard faintly. 

Once the dead were in view a few flights ahead of her, Mel quietly crept up behind them. At the top of the stairs was about five or six dead trying their hardest to get through the locked door. They were all so preoccupied with Merle’s shrieking that they didn’t notice Mel until her knife was in their temple. “Fish in a barrel.” She said quietly to herself as she stepped over the bodies. To her relief the door was not actually locked but rather jammed with a screwdriver. Mel opened the door and walked out onto the rooftop only to see Merle cut the remaining tendons that connected his hand to the rest of his arm. 

He screamed violently and rolled on his back spraying jets of blood into the air. Mel jumped over the small gap between the two buildings and ran to him. Without saying a word, she immediately began taking off his belt. 

“Hey! Lucy! Damn girl, if I knew this would get you into my pants that quick I would have cut off my hand a long time ago.” He laughed weakly.

Mel could see he was already losing his color. She constricted the belt around his mangled stump with haste. 

“Shut up. We need to stop the bleeding or your dumb ass is going to die. Now get up!” She pulled Merle to his feet, which sent his head spinning. Mel yanked him over the gap and toward the door of the office building as he wailed and babbled loudly. 

“Quiet, or you will attract more of them.” 

“I jus' cut my hand off, for fuck sake. What ya expect me to do!?” Merle yelled. 

“That's your fuckin' fault. You couldn't have waited just ten more minutes?” 

Merle slipped on the blood dripping from his stump. From that point on, he mumbled quietly to himself with the occasional yell of pain. 

Mel led a dizzy Merle through the building until they came across the office kitchen. She dumped him in a chair and quickly searched the cabinets. To her surprise, there was a number of ethanol gel cans and a small pack of matches. Merle groaned as he watched Mel light them and heat a metal spatula until it was glowing bright orange. 

“This is gon’ hurt isn’ it?” He asked miserably as she approached him.

“Oh yeah.” Mel replied while swinging her leg over his handless arm. 

She paused a moment, leaned over to the counter and grabbed a rag which she balled up and handed to Merle. He snatched it from her and threw it across the room. 

“Just fuck’ do it.” He growled. 

Mel sighed and held his wounded arm between her thighs as she pressed the hot metal against the stump. A large plume of steam rose into the air as the scalding metal vaporized his blood. Mel struggled to breath through the stench as the metal cooked his flesh, sealing the exposed vesicles. 

Merle kicked and screamed as much as his lungs would let him but he did not pass out, to much of Mel’s surprise. The smell of burnt flesh and blood hung thick in the air long after she was finished. As Merle lay collapsed in the chair trying to catch his breath, Mel surveyed the street outside through a window. When she saw it was clear she urged Merle to get moving. 

“Damn, girl. Just hold on a minute.” He rasped.

“Oh so now I’m the impatient one? You could have fooled me.” She teased.

“Hey. I thought I was ‘bout to get eaten alive up there. So ‘scuse me, princess.” 

She let him rest a minute but kept an eye out for any movement on the street. Mel checked the rest of the cabinets for supplies but could only find packets of sugar and a few coffee filters. 

As the sun crept behind the buildings, Mel grew more and more anxious. 

“We need to leave soon.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just a few more minutes and I’ll be right as…, right as…. How does that go again? Ehh.. Fuck it.” Merle said weakly. 

“What happened up there?” Mel asked, more in general wonder than a direct question.

“Niggers, man. Fuckin’ niggers. Think they own the fuckin world now, don’t they? Get offended at the drop of a hat. Boy, I tell ya, shouldda tied that gorilla to the roof the first chance I had. Would have done the world some good.” He let out a strained laugh. 

Mel stalked over to him and grabbed his blistered stump. “Don’t make me regret getting you off that roof.” She threatened as he whimpered.

She went back to the window to resume her watch. 

"How was I suppose to know you were a nigger lover, 'specially with that hairdo." Merle huffed. "Only gals with do's like that are either skin heads or lezbos. Now one of those things is crossed off the list. Shame. We could 'ave had some real fun. Hell, we still can. Once I get this pipe red hot, you'll be beggin' me to stick it in." He laughed hoarsely.

Mel's patience was frayed too thin to handle his offensive wit. She wasted no time in grabbing for Merle's tender stump once more but he twisted away from her before she could get too close.

"Joking! I was only jokin', Lucy. Damn." Merle cried pitifully while trying to shield his mangled arm. 

"I don't need you testing how much you can get away with me like a fucking child. If you're not thankful for me saving your worthless hide then at least shut the fuck up so I can get us out of here." Mel glared at him, her colorful eyes gleaming like black opals in the dimply lit break room.

“Hate to break it to ya, Lucy, but I would have been just fine without ya. Can’t nothing kill Merle but Merle!” He wheezed a laugh that turned into another whimper of pain. After a moment he continued. “So where did you really get those peepers, darlin’? You some kind of medical anomaly or just a marshin here to observe the last of humanity?” 

Mel ignored him and opened the window. “Time to go. Get up.” The urgency was back in her voice as she forced him on his feet. 

Mel exited the window first and climbed down the fire escape to clear the few dead wandering the otherwise vacant street. The moon was their only light now. They used the shadows to hide from the dead that were roaming the streets. Moving silently, they slunk from block to block. Eventually coming upon her crash site.

“Okay. We turn down here and it will be a straight shot back to the fence we come through.” She whispered. 

With the crash site at their backs, they moved down the street. A walker made its way out of a dark alley a few yards ahead of their position. Then another and another. Mel silently signaled to Merle that they needed to get out of sight. When she turned to look at him, she saw a walker grab him by the shoulder with its mouth open, ready to take a chunk out of his face. 

Quickly she pushed the thing away to free Merle but in doing so made enough noise to alert the rest of the walkers. She grabbed Merle and dragged him down an adjacent street in an attempt to circle around the dead. However, they only managed to awaken another hoard from the surrounding alleys and streets. 

Mel was surprised at how quickly the walkers had surrounded them so completely. She cursed at herself for believing that the night would be easier to navigate around the dead.  
“We need higher ground.” Mel thought aloud. 

“I don’t s'ppose them stairs would be of any help then.” Merle said sarcastically. 

As soon as Mel set eyes on the metal staircase leading to the roof of an apartment building she ran as fast as she could, dragging Merle all the while. She pushed Merle to go up first while she fought off the dead. He climbed the stairs the best he could but his best was too slow. Mel was getting over whelmed with walkers. The hoard started falling on her and dragging her to her feet. 

Merle turned and saw her struggling. 'She would be a good distraction', Merle thought for a moment. He even turned to continue but something stopped him. He turned around and moved his feet fast as he could down the stairs. 

“Lucy!” He yelled out to her over the dull roar of the dead that had now clogged the alley. 

Mel looked up and saw his outstretched hand. She grabbed it and he pulled but the dead had a tight grip on her legs. She could feel a hundred hands all over her. Nails snagged and broke on her cargo pants while she felt three different sets of teeth gnawing on her boots. Merle had to string his handless arm through the bars of the stairwell to get better leverage against the pull of the dead. Eventually Mel was free and she tumbled into Merle. 

They looked at each other for one happy moment before moving away from the advancing hoard. They made their way up the stairs as the dead followed. Suddenly a hand shot through an open window of one of the apartments and latched on to Mel’s arm. She lost her balance and fell half way into the window. 

Mel struggled to fight the thing that had grabbed her through the window curtains. She could see its open mouth trying to bite her through the fabric. This time Merle did not hesitate to help. With her legs hanging out the window and her other half being held up by the curtains, Merle tried pulling her back through. Before he could get a good pull on her, the dead had climbed the stairs and were now reaching for Merle. He kicked and pushed those that got too close, which was all he could do in his wounded state, but trying to help Mel was already a task within itself. 

“Just go!” Mel yelled to him from inside the window. “Go to the roof! I’ll find another way up!”

“Are you sure?” Merle yelled back. 

“Fucking yes! Now just go!” 

Merle let go and she fell into the apartment with the dead not far behind. He kicked a few walkers back down the stairs before continuing up the stairs to the roof. When looking for another way down he heard a blood curdling scream coming from the apartments below. His blood went cold as he envisioned the dead tearing into Mel’s beautiful beige flesh. 'God damnit, Lucy.' He whispered to himself, rubbing his only hand over his face. Merle collected himself and resumed searching for a way down. On the other side of the roof was a fire ladder. Climbing down each rung was harder than Merle had anticipated. More than once he tried grabbing at the ladder with his missing hand and slipped. After the third time, he had to stop and focus himself before continuing, slower now. As soon as Merle touched down on the sidewalk, he heard someone whistle at him. He looked around, confused, and saw a man crouched across the street. 

“Odelay! You need help?” The stranger whispered loudly. 

Merle ran over to him and saw that he was a Latino man not much younger than himself. 

“Damn, you're fucked up, bruh. You not bit or nothin’, are ya?” The man asked.

“No, now get me the hell out of here.” Merle said breathlessly. 

Merle could see more men in the dark sneaking around the burnt out van and a large diesel truck he and Mel passed moments ago. It was slightly damaged but the men got it running within minutes. Merle piled in with the Mexican, two large black men, and a skinny white guy. 

“Name’s Martinez.” Said the man.

“That’s great. If you’re headed to the border, then do me a favor and just kill me now.” Merle wheezed. 

Martinez and the others laughed. “Nah, bruh. We’re headed back to Woodberry.” He told Merle as they took off down the road.


	7. Chapter 7

Mel fell through the window, taking the curtains with her. Just as the fabric pulled away from the dead man's face, Mel shoved her blade through the roof of his open mouth before he was able to take a chunk out of her arm. Finally free, she looked up and saw more walkers starting to pile in through the open window. She rolled to the side just as one landed right where she had been. As more bodies stumbled in, Mel sprung to her feet and tried to get a sense of her surroundings before they could get up. 

The room was faintly lit by a number of jar candles. When her eyes adjusted, Mel saw an old woman standing in a bedroom doorway. She wore a night gown with matching slippers and pink hair curlers. The woman stared at Mel with wide eyes while preying frantically in quiet mumbles, a rosary in one hand and a steak knife in the other. Mel ran towards her, shoved the frightened woman inside and slammed the door shut, barricading it with a dresser. The room was filled with more candles and just as many crosses . In the corner stood the terrified woman holding the knife out in front of her like a sword.

Mel grabbed one of the jar candles, ignoring her, and immediately began searching the room. From the closet, she pulled out duct tape and two long sleeved men's business shirts. She put one shirt on and threw the other to the woman, it hit her knees and flopped to the floor. Mel let out a frustrated sigh.   
“You need to do this if you want to live.” She gestured to the shirt and duct tape. 

The woman continued muttering her prayers. Mel gave up on her and started wrapping layer after layer of duct tape around her sleeved forearms. When the old woman started speaking louder and louder about how Mel was a devil that let the dead into her home, Mel took notice. 

The woman was frantic, chopping the knife at the air in Mel’s direction. Mel paused and glared at her. “You need to stop. They are going to hear you.”

The woman continued babbling loudly and got close enough to scratch Mel down the back with her knife.

“God damnit! Will you fuckin’ knock it off!” Mel cursed between clenched teeth, trying to stay quiet. 

It was no use. The dead were already piling themselves against the bedroom door and pushing aside the dresser. The first ones through grabbed the old woman, dragging her to the ground and immediately tore into her fragile body. She let out a blood-curdling scream that abruptly ended when one of the walkers bit into her throat, stretching out her elastic vocal chords with its teeth. As more entered the room, they were instantly attracted to the commotion on the floor, leaving Mel unnoticed. 

This was enough of a distraction for Mel to finish taping her arms and begin fighting her way through the apartment. She held up her taped forearm like a shield to the biting dead while she plunged her knife through their eye sockets.

Mel pushed through the wall of animated corpses for what seemed to her like an eternity. The wall was never ending, constantly being replenished by more walkers pilling in through the open window. Eventually, she found the front door and squeezed through it into the hallway. She pulled the door shut and was enveloped by inky blackness. Now completely blind, Mel felt along the walls until she found the door to another apartment and forced her way inside. 

She quietly locked the door and listened hard for any movement within the new apartment. Mel jumped at the sound of diesel truck starting just outside the apartment's window. She ran to it and peered out into the street where she saw the headlights of a truck, the same truck that crashed their van weeks ago. Mel cursed under her tired breath as she watched it take off and disappear behind the buildings.

“He fucking left.” Mel sighed to herself in slight disbelief and slumped down to the floor, still staring out the window. 

The next thing she knew the sun was up. A battery-operated clock in the kitchen told her it was a quarter to eight. Mel rose stiffly, her body aching with such an intensity that she almost sat right back down. Motivated by hunger, she forced herself to stand and shuffled into the kitchen. She riffled through each cabinet as her stomach started twisting itself into a knot but only found a box of uncooked spaghetti noodles. She grabbed the box and the clock batteries before leaving. 

Out in the street, Mel shuffled along the sidewalk, crunching on her hard noodles. She made her way towards the fence that lead to camp. For the first time in a long time, all Mel wanted to do was lay down and rest. She passed a large window and was startled by her reflection. Blood had completely soaked into the business shirt she adorned herself with. She unbuttoned the stiff fabric to observe the stains that soaked through to her undershirt and cursed under her breath.

Just then a walker shuffled out of the broken door of the building next to her. Mel’s reflexes had been whittled down to nothing the night before so all she could do was stand motionless. It looked around with cloudy eyes for a moment, turned to Mel, sniffed slightly, and continued to shuffle on. 'What the fuck', Mel thought in disbelief. She looked back at her disheveled reflection and it finally clicked. She shuffled in front of the alley with the stairwell she and Merle had climbed the previous night. 

The dead filled the stairs. Some were standing around absentmindedly, while others walked themselves up and down and even right off the edge of the stairs. But they never once took notice of her. Mel continued her slow walk to the fence, crunching on more uncooked noodles. Every walker she passed ignored her. She was beside herself. How easy things would have been had she known this trick. 

'Smell like them, act like them, and they think you're one of them.' She thought to herself. 'I wonder if Adam knows about…. Adam! That’s right!' Her stomach did a somersault when she remembered the lead she she had on where he might be. The kid said his people were in the nursing home but her only problem was that she had no idea where that was. She thought long and hard about where she could find a yellow page book for an address and a city map until she realized that someone at camp would probably be a better resource. 

Mel didn’t make it very far before she heard yelling and the screeching tires of a car coming from within the city. One of the voices sounded like Daryl, which made her heart leap. She did not want to give herself away to the dead around her so she calmly turned toward the noise. The commotion also caught the interest of the dead and one after another they turned to follow it. Mel joined in as they migrated through the streets. 

As time passed many of the dead lost track of where the sound had come from. Mel knew it had come from the northeast but now the herd was moving straight east. They seemed to follow one another now, not really having a specific destination. Mel broke off from the herd and went the way she knew was right. A few stragglers joined her, confirming her theory that the dead follow each other just for the sake of following. 

Out of nowhere, four figures emerged onto the street in front of Mel. Three she recognized but the fourth she did not. Rick and T-dog were restraining a stranger while Daryl acted as their cover. He had his crossbow aimed at her and the other walkers but hesitated to shoot. Daryl stopped and slightly lowered his aim as a wave of dread crashed over him. For a fleeting moment, he thought Mel had turned. She surely looked the part, caked with blood and accompanied by three walkers. Yet when he met her eyes, a connection was made and his blood rushed with adrenaline. 

“Wait! Is that Mel?” T-dog exclaimed when he realized Daryl had stopped.

Daryl raised his crossbow and sent and arrow through the head of one of the walkers. Mel did the same with her knife to the remaining two. 

“You’re alive.” Rick said with a little more relief than disbelief.

“Where’s Merle?” Daryl urged as he ran up to her. 

Mel’s face showed how exhausted she was. She tried to avoid eye contact as she answered solemnly, “He’s gone.”

Daryl reacted as if she had wounded him. “How did he die?” He asked, holding back tears.

Mel shook her head. “Not dead. Just, gone.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Daryl growled, confused and angry.

“Hey, can we discuss this later? We have a more pressing situation on our hands.” Rick chimed in. 

“Fuck you, man. He’s my brother!” Daryl yelled. 

“He left.” Mel said in the same sad tone.

“Left where?” Daryl continued. 

“Daryl, we need to go. It sounds like he’s fine. We need to get Glenn first then we can find your brother.” Rick reasoned. Daryl wiped away tears and kept quiet.

“What happened to Glenn?” Mel asked.

“I’ll tell you when we get back to the guns.” Rick said with haste and continued down the road. 

Mel followed, her body objecting with every step. She brought up the back of the group as Rick and T-dog dragged the stranger between them. Daryl stayed in the middle but stole glances back at Mel every chance he could. He stifled his intense anticipation to talk to her by formulating a hundred different scenarios of what had happened to her and his brother. From the state she was in, it couldn't have been good. All he knew was that Merle's hand had been cut off. When they found his severed hand, they followed the trail of blood to an alley full of walkers. Daryl always had faith that his brother could get out of any situation but it died in that moment, taking a piece of himself with it. However, seeing Mel alive felt like being born again. Her confirmation that Merle was not dead was enough to keep him from the edge of a complete breakdown. Mel had risked her life to help his brother, for that Daryl felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and respect for her.


	8. Chapter 8

The group quickly made their way to a dusty insurance office where Rick had stashed a bag of guns. He explained to Mel that he had dropped the bag while trying to escape the city but when they came back to get it, another group of survivors claimed the bag was theirs. In the end, they got the guns and the other group took Glenn. 

“And him?” Mel was staring at the stranger, her arms crossed and brow furrowed.

“He's one of theirs. I'm going to try and get them to trade, man for man.” Rick said with strained hope. 

She studied the hostage. He was in his late teens, had tan skin, and wore a white tank top with baggy jeans. Something about him was faintly familiar but Mel's tired mind could not place it. After several moments of deep pondering it suddenly clicked.

“Are they at a nursing home?” She asked calmly. 

The hostage snapped his head towards Mel then quickly looked away in a poor attempt to mask his surprise. A sly smile crept onto Mel's face. This hostage of theirs looked a lot like the young boy she had chased through the city. There was no doubt in her mind that he was a friend of the kid. More importantly, Mel now had a key to where Adam might be. This realization sent her heart pounding and her body rushed with energy. 

“No. It’s some old brick warehouse.” Rick explained. 

Mel ignored him and crouched down in front of the hostage on the floor. 

“You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?” Her voice was stern and sinister.

“No! Get away from me, crazy puta!” He lied. 

Mel’s patience was nonexistent. She grabbed him by the throat and slammed him hard against the wall. 

“You're fucking lying! You took him, didn’t you!?” She yelled in his face. Mel dug her fingers into his soft neck until his eyes became blood shot and his face was turning a dark red.

Rick grabbed her in fear that she might choke him to death. As Mel struggled with Rick, the hostage made an attempt to crawl away but was stopped by T-dog who threw him back in place. 

“Hey! There's no need for that! We know his people took Glenn, Daryl saw it. And there’s no nursing home, okay?” Rick tried calming her in vein.

“Not Glenn, Adam! Where is he, you mother fucker!?” She shoved Rick so forcefully that he stumbled into a filing cabinet and fell to the ground. Mel lunged at the hostage once more.

“Stop her!” Rick huffed as he recovered from his fall. 

“Mel, come on. We need him alive.” T-dog tried to reason but didn't dare lay his hands on her after seeing what she did to Rick.

“He can live with broken fingers.” Mel said, grabbing the hostage's hand and bending his pointer finger until he screamed in agony. 

This time Daryl stepped in. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back. Mel lost her balance and fell back against a near by desk. She sprang up and glared at Daryl who had stepped between her and the hostage.

“Ya want this prick to be attractin' attention like that?” He brought his face close to hers and their eyes met. The effect was like throwing water on fire. Within moments Mel's fury was extinguished. Eyes still locked, Daryl slowly backed her into the corner where she stayed. 

Rick unzipped the bag of guns and started dividing them out on the desk. Daryl broke away from Mel and watched Rick.

“ Them guns are worth more than gold, 'cept gold won't protect yer family or put food on the table. Yer gon' give that up for that Asian kid?” Daryl asked.

“If I knew we'd get Glenn back, I might agree. But you really think that vato across the way is gonna hand him over?” T-dog added.

“You calling G a liar?” The hostage spoke up in an offended tone.

Daryl stalked towards him. “Are you a part of this? Ya want to hold onto yer teeth?” He slapped him hard across the head and the boy stayed silent. 

“Question is, do you trust that man's word?” T-dog asked.

“No, question is what are ya willin' to bet on it? Could be more than them guns. Could be yer life. Glenn worth that to ya?” Daryl answered briskly.

Rick sighed heavily. “What life I have I owe to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could have walked away, but he didn't. Neither will I.” His voice was determined. 

“So yer gon' hand the guns over?” Daryl asked, faintly disappointed.

“I didn't say that.” Rick stared at Daryl a moment. “There's nothin' keeping you three here. You should get out, head back to camp.” 

“And tell you're family what, man?” T-dog asked sarcastically. Mel looked at him with confused wonder. T-dog gave her a small shrug.

There was a heavy silence in the room while Rick and Daryl continued to stare at each other. Something about Rick's loyalty moved Daryl. He had only known selfishness his entire life with Merle as a brother but it was never something he got use to. Even though he still disliked Rick for what he did to Merle, he could not help but respect him. 

“Well, you know I'm sure as hell going.” Mel announced, breaking the intense silence. 

She picked up a gun and searched for matching bullets. Daryl and T-dog followed suit and started picking out guns for themselves. Rick put his hand on hers as Mel grabbed for a box of 9 millimeters. 

“You have been through enough already. If Adam is there, I will get him back for you.” He said in earnest. 

“I appeciate that. But there is nothing in this world that will stop me from going in there and getting him myself.” Rick looked at her gravely. Mel sighed. “Look, you and I have the same motive, so stop treating me like I'm some love sick school girl trying to get her boyfriend back.” Mel said with such an intensity that Rick pulled his hand away as if suddenly realizing he was touching something scalding hot. Daryl stole a sidways glance at Mel. All continued loading their guns in silence.

As the four of them continued gearing up, the hostage became increasingly distraught. 

“Come on, this is nuts!” He whimpered. The hostage went to stand but Daryl pounced on him. “Just do like G says.” He whined quietly in vein, knowing that it was far beyond that now.

Mel bound and gagged the hostage before they set out. When they arrived, Mel saw that the hideout looked nothing like a nursing home but was an old brick warehouse, as Rick had said. Despite all of this, Mel was still convinced that they were the ones who crashed into her and took Adam.

The doors opened upon arrival and they walked inside with Rick at the front. Mel kept her handgun in its holster and one hand on the hostage. Inside, the warehouse was full of old machinery and men with guns drawn, that is all but one man. He was short with black hair and mocha colored skin. The others addressed him as Guillermo. He had a relaxed disposition with an air of cockiness most likely due to his numerous companions. 

Guillermo spoke first. “I see my guns, but they’re not all in the bag.” 

“That’s because they’re not yours. I thought I mentioned that.” Rick said sternly.

One of the men behind Guillermo stepped forward. “Let's just shoot these fools right now, ese. All right? Unload on their asses, ese.” 

Rick stiffened.

“I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation.” Guillermo added.

“No, I'm pretty clear.” Rick nodded to Mel. She cut the ties on the hostage’s hands and pushed him forward. “There. You have your man, now I want mine.”  
Guillermo laughed. “Man, you believe this pendejo? Hand delivers our guy and our guns but somehow still expects to get something out of it. You are one stupid hijo de puta!” He walked closer to Rick and his amusement faded. “I'm gonna tell you how this is going to go, gringo. I'm gonna chop up your boy and use his as dog food. I got a couple of the meanest man-eating bitches you've ever seen and they are hungry mother fuckers. As for you and your amigos, I think I'll just kill you all right now and take you out with the trash.” Guillermo pulled out his gun and pointed it in Rick’s face. Everyone stiffened except Mel, who stood slack with her arms crossed and unmoved.

Before anyone made another move, a frail voice broke the tension. 

“Felipe! Felipe!” From out of nowhere a shriveled old woman appeared. 

“Abuela, go back with the others.... now!” The man who had been behind Guillermo went to her. 

“Hey! Get that old lady out of the line of fire!” Daryl shouted, his shotgun held high. 

“Abuela, listen to your mijo, okay? This is not the place for you right now.” Guillermo answered, clearly annoyed. 

“Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff. Crlitos didn't find it. He needs his medicine.” She said, flustered. 

“Filipe, go take care of it, okay? And take your grandmother with you!” Guillermo added. 

“Abuela, ven conmingo por favor.” Felipe spoke softly to the old woman. 

“Who are those people?” She said with blind curiosity. 

“Por favor, ven conmingo.” Felipe continued to urge her but to no avail. 

The old woman noticed Rick's sheriff's uniform and shuffled through the group of men to stand in front of him.

“Don't you take him.” She begged.

“Uh, ma'am?” Rick was perplexed. 

“Felipe's a good boy. He has his trouble but he pulls himself together. We need him here.” 

“Ma'am, I'm not here to arrest your grandson.” 

“Then what do you want him for?” 

“He's... Helping us find a missing person. Fella named Glenn.” Rick explained.

“And Adam.” Mel spoke loudly, shooting a quick glance at Rick.

“The Asian boy?” Her nonexistent eyebrows raised in a thousand wrinkles.“He's with Mr. Gilbert. Come. Come, I'll show you.” She smiled and nodded at Mel, making her draw a sharp breath.

As easy as that, authority switched to the senior and the rest stood down. She took them outside into a well-tended courtyard that was connected to another building. 

“A nursing home.” Rick said under his breath with astonishment and looked at Mel in disbelief. 

Her face was just as bewildered but with an urgency in her eyes. The abuela led them down a long hall that opened up to a large common room where people were gathered around an old man gasping for breath. Glenn was among them, clearly not in any distress.

Rick ran up to Glenn and took in the situation. “What the hell is this?” Rick asked in confused anger. 

“An asthma attack. Couldn't catch his breath all of a sudden.” Glenn said innocently. 

“I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man.” 

Glenn turned and looked at two small shivering chihuahuas nestled in a puffy dog bed. Rick abruptly turned to Guillermo, “I need to talk to you.” Rick growled and the pair relocated to an empty room for privacy. 

Meanwhile, Mel searched the crowd for Adam. When she did not find him, Mel approached the abuela that brought them here.

“Where is Adam?” She asked with polite excitement. 

It took the old woman a moment to process her question. 

“Ah! Mr. Adams is right over there.” She happily pointed to an old man asleep in his wheelchair. “Mr. Adams is a lovely man. Is he your grandfather?”

Mel could feel the blood drain from her. “N-No. I don't know him. I'm looking for a man named Adam Pearce.” 

“Oh. There is no one here with that name. I am sorry, mija.” The old lady reached up and placed a soft shriveled hand on Mel's shoulder earnestly.

Mel felt dizzy and slowly backed away from the old woman. 'What if she didn't know his name? Or maybe he is still recovering from the accident. He has to be here.' Mel convinced herself to search the adjacent hallway of living quarters, then the next, and the next. She looked into every room she could find, locked or otherwise. They were all the same, empty. Each one felt like another step closer to the edge of a vast crevasse where despair lurked in its dark depths. Eventually Mel entered the room where Rick and Guillermo were talking. Rick was unloading the guns from the bag. He gave her a look that seemed to say ‘what other choice do I have’. Mel was indifferent. She had finally made it to the nursing home where she was certain Adam would be only to have her hope ripped out from under her. 

She approached Guillermo, out of breath and half hysterical. “Have your guys ever picked up an Australian?” she asked urgently but already knew the answer.  
He looked confused, “Can’t say that they have.”

“Did anyone crash a truck within the past month and a half or so?” Disappointment was creeping into her voice. 

“My guys don’t drive trucks. And if they did, they wouldn’t be crashing them. Sorry.” Guillermo apologized. 

Mel completely deflated. She was so sure Adam was here. If he wasn’t then he was most likely dead. She struggled to keep back the tears that were fighting their way out.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Guillermo added. Mel gave a quick nod without looking in his direction. “Back in the warehouse, when things got hot. You had a gun but you never touched it. Why?” 

Mel swallowed hard before answering. “Most of your men didn’t have clips in their guns. And your safety was on.” Mel said with a slight shake in her voice. She smiled despite herself and Guillermo let out a short laugh.

Rick grinned, “Is that true?”

“Ya, but we fooled you though.” He continued to chuckle.


	9. Chapter 9

Rick shook Guillermo's hand and wished him the best of luck as Glenn was bombarded with wet kisses and hard pats on the back from the seniors. Mel waited outside patiently with Daryl and T-dog. She was eager to leave and put the monument to her failed hope behind her. Without reason, she glanced up and saw the young boy she had chased the day before. He was peering out from one of the warehouse's many broken windows and waving at her. She smirked despite herself and gave a tiny wave back. 

Luck also seemed to be with the group upon their departure. The commotion of that morning had sent a large portion of the walkers migrating away from their part of the city. The streets were nearly barren, which should have made the trip back fairly quick but Mel weighed the group down in her haze of grief and exhaustion. She walked slowly a few feet behind them, the way walkers do when following one another. This caused everyone to stop occasionally so she could catch up. It was such a simple and mindless task that she did not realize they were waiting on her or that they came to a complete stop.

“Oh my god!” Glenn exclaimed.

The van Rick and the others had drove in on was not where they had left it. Rick parked it under an overpass that got them closer to the location of the guns but was well out of their way. Without a working vehicle, they were stranded several miles from camp.

“Who do you think took it?” T-dog asked.

“Merle.” Rick guessed.

“Naw, Mel said he left last night. Right?” Daryl nudged her. She looked up blankly.

“Could Merle have taken our van?” Rick asked her impatiently. 

For a fleeting moment of confustion, Mel thought he was talking about her crashed cargo van and felt as though she was in a dream of mixed realities.   
“The moving van you had me pull over so you could jump out.” Rick said slowly with restrained frustration. 

Her mind cleared, revealing the memory like fog clearing from a landscape. “No, he took the truck that hit me. He wouldn't have come back just to take this.” She responded flatly. 

“He might ‘ave if he ran out o’ gas or crashed it.” Daryl suggested.

“If that’s the case, he’s gunna be raisin’ some kind of hell back at camp.” T-dog warned. 

Mel's attention quickly withdrew from the conversation. She found herself looking down at the ground. Her stomach churned sickly as she realized what she was staring at. A blue pen covered in dirt. 'Adam'. Images flashed in her mind as vivid as if they were stamped behind her eyelids. Adam in his lab coat and a pen fixed in the front pocket. Adam in a plaid button down shirt, sleeves rolled up, a pen in the breast pocket. Adam in the van, the metal case in his lap, a blue pen in his breast pocket. Mel drew a sharp breath. Slowly she bent over and picked up the pen. 'Is this the same one? Think, God damnit!' Mel shook her head and blinked hard. 'It's just a pen. Stop trying to find him. He's gone.' She reasoned with herself. 

“Mel! C'mon!” A voice almost physically jerked her from thought. Slightly dazed, she looked up to see the men had taken off up the road ahead of her. Mel tossed the pen to the side and followed them but struggled to get her body up to speed. When she eventually caught up, her legs were screaming and sharp pains shot up from her feet each time they hit the ground. A half mile into their run Mel could take no more so they reverted to a fast walk the rest of the way. 

A vivid sunset painted the sky bright orange with deep blue streaks of clouds. There was no breeze but the air was slightly brisk from the changing of the seasons. The five of them had started out walking together but over time the difference in paces separated them. Rick, T-dog, and Glenn clustered in front while Mel walked alone at the back and Daryl bridged the gap between them. Mel's empty stomach stabbed her relentlessly, making her feel sick and dizzy. She grabbed for the spaghetti noodles stuffed in her belt under the business shirt. Her mouth was dry and sticky from having gone too long without water, which made difficult work of swallowing. It was better than nothing.

Daryl noticed the gap between the three men and Mel gradually getting wider. Eventually, he stopped and let her catch up to him. 

“C'mon. Ya want to be out here all night or what?” He jabbed when she was within talking distance.

Mel's silence made him blush with the embarrassment of possibly offending her. He attempted to make up for it by creating small talk. “What ya chewin' on anyway?”

Mel held up the box of raw spaghetti noodles.

“What ya eatin' that crap for?” 

“It was all I could find.” Mel said quietly.

Daryl could see just how exhausted she was, which only added to his swelling feeling of being a nuisance to her. Physically, she looked completely drained. Her eyelids were heavy and dark from lack of sleep, her posture was slouched, her movements delayed, and she had a slight limp as she walked. Not to mention her strange outfit, a blood stained business shirt with duct tape arms. Daryl also knew she was upset about not finding that man she was always going on about. He figured it was her husband or some boyfriend of hers. Either way, he could not help but feel a slight pang of jealousy each time she mentioned him. As the deep orange sun dipped below the horizon, Mel still gave no sign of being bothered by Daryl's presence. Eventually his insecurity withered away and he was able to relax. They walked quietly side by side all the way back to the camp.

Night had taken hold by the time they reached the entrance to the quarry. Not half way down the road, they heard multiple gunshots and screaming coming from camp. Startled, they all broke into a sprint. When they finally arrived, the scene was horrific. A hoard of dead had wandered into the camp and was feasting on the campers like a human buffet. The five immediately joined in on the gunfire. 

A switch was flipped inside Mel the moment she started shooting. She moved to the front of the pack and was shouting out orders. “Everyone rally at the RV. Shooters, concentrate fire toward the entry zone! Aim for the head! Watch for friendlies!” Her heart thrummed hard and fast with adrenaline, releasing her from the aches and pains that had her feeling fifty years older just minutes before.

As steady stream of walkers was emerging from the woods surrounding the camp. The hoard showed no signs of thinning, even after several minutes of constant gunfire. 

“Someone is stuck in their tent!” One of the campers shouted as they ran to the RV. 

“Cover me!” Mel yelled by habit as she advanced into the heart of the camp.

Once inside, Mel observed several walkers congregated around a tent where a woman could be hear screaming from inside. The dead were starting to tear the stitching of the tent which meant she needed to be quick. 

“Don't worry, I'll get you out!” Mel called to the screaming woman.

She skillfully placed bullets into the heads of each walker surrounding the tent and a few new ones that emerged from the trees. Soon the tent was clear and Mel had a short window of time to get the woman out before more dead came shambling in. When she unzipped the door Mel squinted through the dark for the woman. What she saw made her breath ball up in her throat, thick and choking. Instead of finding the trapped woman, Mel saw a young boy of nine with skin the color of caramel. His throat was opened so deep and wide that his head was nearly severed from his body. Terror wormed through Mel like icy fingers penetrating her deeper than bone. Her blood crystallized and froze her in place. She stared with wide watery eyes at the young boy who was still clinging to life. Blood foamed at the gash in his throat with each faint gasp, making a grotesque sucking and gurgling sound. Mel could feel him staring at her, staring into her, boring through to her very soul. 

While frozen in this eternal moment, Mel could hear the gunshots and yells gradually become muffled and far away, as if she were sinking under water. She was faintly aware of her name being called but could not break her connection with the dying boy. She felt as though she were keeping him alive and if she looked away, he would be gone forever. Mel didn't even flinch when an arrow flew inches past her face. 

Suddenly, she was grabbed and forced away from the tent. Mel fell to the ground and gasped for air, not realizing that her breath had froze along with the rest of her. It took a moment for her mind to focus. She rolled over and sat up on her elbows. Daryl was standing above her, pulling his knife out of a walker's head. He shoved the corpse away and looked down at her.

“What the hell's wrong with you!?” He yelled , full of anger and worry. 

“I... I'm sorry. I was going to get her out but.....” She trailed off, staring at the black maw of the tent door with apprehension. 

Daryl aimed the flashlight mounted on his crossbow into the tent. Its beam of light sliced through the dark and revealed the woman being eaten alive by walkers. A hole had been tore in the opposite side of the tent and two walkers were feasting on her as she struggled. One, a man dressed in a bloody suit and tie, was gnawing on her nose. The other was a fat old man who slurped greedily at the slimy intestines trailing from a gash in her side as if it were a long piece of spaghetti. She was no longer screaming but repeatedly stabbed at the side of the walker scraping off her face with its teeth.

“Fuckin' Christ.” Daryl cursed under his breath, then released another arrow. It sunk deep into the side of the woman's head with at thud and her stabbing arm flopped to the side. 

Mel continued to stare into the tent while Daryl loaded and unloaded his crossbow into the few remaining walkers. Why had she seen a little boy in the dark and not the woman? 'Not A little boy, THE little boy.' A voice whispered in her head. Mel exhaled sharply at the thought. 'Oh God. No. That was years ago. Why am I seeing him now?' She clutched at her chest. 'I'm tired is all. Tired and hungry. I went too long without food and water. That's got to be it. I'm not crazy!' She screamed inside her head. 

“....where?” 

Mel looked up bemused. “What?”

“Did ya get bit anywhere?” Daryl asked as he cleaned the blood and meat off his arrows.

Mel swallowed hard. “No. You?”

“Naw.” He helped her up off the ground. Then after a long moment he added. “You okay?” 

Mel's mind was creeping back to the dying boy. “Yeah, I'm fine.” She said flatly. 

Daryl wasn't convinced. Before either of them could say anything more, Shane's booming voice echoed off the trees as he beckoned everyone to the RV. 

“Dumb fucker's gonna call all the dead in a hun'erd miles o' here.” Daryl grumbled. “Are ya sure yer okay?” He could see she was distracted.

Mel jerked her head up and rubbed at her noes with the back of her hand. “I'm just tired is all.” She had hoped she could hide behind her half truth but the tone of her voice betrayed her. She hoped he hadn't noticed.

Daryl did notice but didn't know how what to do about it. Before Mel turned to leave he said, “Ya can have my tent for the night. Don' think I'll be getting' much sleep an'way.” 

“Sadly, I don't think I will either.” Mel let out an exhausted laugh. 

“It's there if ya want it.” Daryl said with a shrug.

Mel nodded. The fear and confusion that had gripped her was melting away to an uneasiness that clung to her uncomfortably like wet clothes. It was at this point her adrenaline wore off and her body decided to overwhelm her with crippling exhaustion. Slowly and carefully, she followed Daryl through the maze of dead bodies back to the RV. With everyone present, a census was taken of who was left. It was about half of the camp. 

“How could this have happened?” Cried a brown haired woman named Lori who Mel had gathered was Rick's wife.

“Maybe we’ve been too loud, our fires too big.” Shane looked around accusingly. Daryl scoffed quietly under his breath. 

“It was random.” Mel spoke softly.

“What do you mean it was random?” Shane spat, putting his hands on his hips.

“You’ve seen the way birds form clusters in the sky. The walkers are like that. They follow each other and just go in whatever direction.” She explained dully.

“Whatever the reason, we can’t stay here. If they got to us once, they can get to us again.” Rick spoke with authority. 

“And just where the hell do you think we should go? We don't know how far this has spread. It could be worse wherever we go.” Shane argued. 

“The CDC.” Mel heard herself say.

“The center for disease control? I don’t appreciate jokes right now, darlin’.” Shane mocked.

“No, that’s not a bad idea. There's probably people still there and they might have a cure.” Rick supported Mel.

“That's wishful thinking.” Jacqui commented.

“And if it's overrun?” Lori added.

“That's a chance we will have to take.” Rick said with finality. 

The rest of the survivors murmured among themselves.

“Alright everybody, we don't have to decide right this minute.” Shane darted an angry look at Rick. “First things first, we need to take care of the bodies. Let's start making a pile over here. Let's go.” He commanded. 

Reluctantly, everyone started to move to the nearest body and began hauling them to Shane's designated spot. Mel followed suit but was interrupted by Daryl.   
“Get yer ass into my tent and get some sleep.” He demanded.

“I'm not sleeping while everyone is working.” Mel argued.

“I don't give a fuck. Yew'd jus' be makin' more work for the rest of us bein as tired as ya are. Go lay the fuck down before I make you.” He warned, then proceeded to usher her to his tent. Mel made a few more empty complaints but made no real attempt to stop him. Once inside the tent Mel felt the thick tendrils of sleep constrict her tired body. She melted into the soft sleeping bag and was consumed by the delicious black void of slumber.


End file.
